Chapter 19

It was mid-morning, approaching noon, and Tiara Roses was slumped in her room.

If asked if she was feeling unwell, she would probably answer with a subtle expression, "No." If pressed, the closest state she could describe would be that she had a slight fever from overthinking. ——Or so it seemed.

Feeling utterly pitiful, Tiara Roses sank into the sofa.

What came to mind was the deep, sweet voice of her beloved. The sound of Aquasteed calling her "Tiara" made her body tremble.

Not just when they were alone, but he always pampered her whenever they were together. However, at the same time, he also spent a lot of time with Aishira. Therefore, Tiara Roses' worries could not be completely dispelled.

Of course, she knew that it was part of his job. Aishira supplied fish and corals raised in the sea to the castle.

"…How long will my body hold up?"

Thinking about this, she might melt away from jealousy and the excessive pampering from Aquasteed. With these thoughts, Tiara Roses closed her eyes.

The fluffy sofa gently enveloped her body. She might fall asleep like this, but perhaps that would be fine. Giving in to drowsiness, Tiara Roses decided to take a short nap.

◇ ◇ ◇

"I'm sorry for interrupting your work."

"No, it's fine. …How about this design?"

"Yeah, it's good. It seems to suit Tiara well."

On a pleasant afternoon, Aquasteed was discussing with Aishira on the garden terrace.

One might wonder why they were on the terrace, but the main reason was that this was not work. They were selecting a design for a hair accessory to be given to Tiara Roses.

"The design of the hair accessory I wore the other day also seemed to suit Your Highness's taste… Perhaps a slight modification would be good."

"Yeah."

The day Tiara Roses was invited to Aishira's mansion—

Aquasteed had gone to pick up Tiara Roses. However, since she was in the sea, he had to wait on land.

During this time, he consulted with Aishira about the decorations he was preparing to give.

When it looked like Aquasteed was touching Aishira's hair, he was simply saying, "This design is also good" because he liked the design of the hair accessory she was wearing.

Of course, after that, the misunderstanding led to Tiara Roses tightly hugging and clinging to Aquasteed.

"……"

"! A, Aquasteed, Your Highness?"

"…No, it's nothing."

Thinking about that moment, Aquasteed's lips curved into a smile. Unconsciously, his smile made Aishira's heart skip a beat.

But she quickly concluded that he was thinking about his fiancée, Tiara Roses, because the item they were discussing was a gift for her.

"Add a dark blue color."

"Blue, huh? Understood, I'll prepare a beautiful color."

Aishira immediately realized that the blue color was probably the color of Aquasteed's hair.

At the welcoming party, Tiara Roses had also worn dark blue roses in her hair, making this guess easy.

—He really does love Tiara Roses.

If this is the case, the country will be safe and secure. Thinking this, Aishira felt a little happy. At the same time, deep down, she felt a tiny bit of envy.

"……"

Tiara Roses accidentally witnessed Aquasteed and Aishira having this conversation.

She was walking around the castle with Tarmo to familiarize herself with the layout.

Immediately, Tiara Roses turned around and hid behind a pillar to observe the two. However, since they were far away, she couldn't hear their conversation.

"It's probably just work talk, as usual."

"…Yeah."

Tarmo's concerned voice reached Tiara Roses' ears. Of course, she thought the same. However, it was inevitable to feel jealous.

—But, he said he would be working all day. And usually, he would be in his office.

He's not the type to do work on the terrace. Watching Aquasteed look at some documents happily, she noticed that there were indeed documents—designs—on the table, but unfortunately, she couldn't see them from where she was.

—Is he lying to me? Because I clung to his arm and acted selfishly?

Of course, he said it was work because he wanted to surprise Tiara Roses with the gift, but she didn't consider that at all.

"It's fine, Tiara Roses. Look, they seem to be heading back to the office."

"…Yeah. I'm sorry, I overthought it."

"No, not at all. If you need anything, feel free to talk to me."

"Thank you."

Secretly watching Aquasteed enter the building, Tiara Roses resumed her walk.

Since she had almost memorized the castle, she headed to the forest behind the castle where beautiful flowers were said to bloom. Perhaps she would find flowers she had never seen before.

After a 15-minute leisurely walk, she reached the entrance of the forest behind the castle. The shrubs were neatly trimmed and blooming with colorful flowers.

Sitting on a nearby bench, the forest fairies immediately appeared and greeted Tiara Roses.

"Ah! It's Tiara Roses!!"

"Hello, Tiara!"

"Oh, hello. You're all so energetic today."

The fairies laughed joyfully, happy to see Tiara Roses.

Tarmo, the guard knight, watched from a distance, careful not to intrude. Fortunately, Tiara Roses had many forest fairies around her, so she wouldn't be bored. …If he got too close, Tarmo would be glared at by Aquasteed.

"I have cookies. Do you want to eat them?"

"Y, y, yeah! I'll eat them!!"

"Wow, they're so crispy!"

"Delicious, I love them~!"

—So cute!

The fairies eating the cookies so happily were incredibly cute. Tiara Roses, who loved small animals and cute things, was delighted to be liked by the fairies.

"Tiara, come here, come here~!"

"What is it?"

The fairies pulled Tiara Roses' arm and led her into the forest.

Tarmo tried to follow but stopped when they stopped in front of a tree. It seemed the fairies wanted to show Tiara Roses some beautiful flowers.

However, by the time they realized their mistake, it was too late.

"?"

Tilting her head at the fairy pointing to the beautiful flowers, Tiara Roses replied, "They're beautiful."

But in the next moment, the tree trunk split open, creating a path. It was a Tree Gate made by the fairies.

Pulled by the fairies, Tiara Roses stepped into the path without any hesitation.

"Wow, the leaves here are so shiny."

"There's a king ahead!"

"King?"

Wondering what they were talking about, she turned back to tell Tarmo. It wasn't good to enter without a guard—she thought. But…

The entrance she had entered was now surrounded by trees, with no way out.

"Um, fairies, I want to go back."

"There's a king? Come here, come here~"

Ignoring Tiara Roses' panic, the fairies continued to pull her deeper into the forest.

"Um, fairies?"

Calling out again, she was only pulled further. Just as she was getting anxious, they reached the end of the Tree Gate.

It was a large space, filled with many forest fairies.

"Where is this…?"

"—Are you Tiara Roses?"

In a space surrounded by trees, where flowers glowed like lights, Tiara Roses was startled to hear her name called.

Looking around, she saw a man, not a fairy, standing there. He had long, deep green hair tied up and golden eyes that seemed to see through everything. His tall, sturdy figure was impressive.

—The king of the forest fairies?

Tiara Roses was taken aback and immediately knelt before the man called the fairy king.

As a fairy king, it was clear who was more noble and respected.

"It's an honor to meet you, King of the Forest Fairies."

"…Hmm. Call me Keith. Tiara, you seem to be quite popular with the forest fairies."

"I am grateful for their affection."

Keith, the fairy king, instructed Tiara Roses to look up.

He examined her face closely and smiled, saying, "Interesting."

"?"

"Tiara, you—have a unique soul."

"—!!"

"Despite being very unstable, your soul is beautiful. It's no wonder they like you. Plus, you have a good smell. Sweet, like pastries."

Keith lifted Tiara Roses' chin and looked into her eyes.

His golden eyes, which seemed to see through everything, might actually see everything. Tiara Roses also realized she still had the cookies.

Perhaps this was it? She thought and gently offered the cookies to Keith.

"It's an honor to receive your praise. The sweet smell might be from these…"

"Drop the formalities. Call me Keith."

"But…"

"Call me."

"Y, yes…"

—What a domineering fairy king!

Tiara Roses thought to herself. Such a strong character. She suddenly realized—

—Could he be a target to win over?

His position as the fairy king, his overwhelming power, and most importantly, his good looks. Tiara Roses was certain Keith was a target character. The sequel was set in a marine forest with fairies, and having the fairy king as a target character was a given.

"Ah, cookies. They do smell good."

"…Would you like to try them?"

"Yeah."

Keith took the cookie from Tiara Roses' hand and put it in his mouth.

He savored it slowly and exclaimed, "Hmm."

"Is this infused with your magic?"

"Ah, yes. I don't have much magic, but I can infuse it into pastries. It makes them beneficial to the body and helps heal injuries faster."

"I see. Still, they're delicious."

As an antagonist, Tiara Roses didn't have the vast magic of a heroine.

Instead, she could infuse her magic into pastries she loved in her previous life. This gave them special effects, making people happy when they ate them. However, the effects weren't significant, so it was more of a comfort.

"Keith…"

"Keith."

"…I'm glad you enjoyed them, Keith."

Keith, who insisted on no formalities, made Tiara Roses comply.

When she called him by his name, Keith smiled in satisfaction.

"Fairies are free, unlike humans."

"…That's true. I wish I could live like a fairy."

Smiling bitterly, Tiara Roses thought about living like a fairy.

If she could, she wouldn't have to worry so much. Human love is complicated.

"What, are you troubled?"

"Ah, no… I just thought humans have many complications and it's difficult."

"Hmm. Well, since the fairies like you, I'll help you if you need it."

Keith placed his large hand on Tiara Roses' head.

—I feel a bit weak. It's embarrassing.

But Keith's words were genuinely comforting.

She had been disliked by the sea fairies, so it was reassuring to be cared for by the fairy king, even if not from the sea. Especially since she was from another country.

"Thank you."

"Yeah. By the way, you're from another country, right?"

"Yes. I came from the neighboring Lapis Lazuli Kingdom to be engaged to the first prince of this country, Aquasteed."

She elegantly curtsied and explained to Keith. He nodded and continued, "That guy, huh?"

—Does Keith know Aquasteed? It wouldn't be surprising if there was an exchange between the fairy king and the royal family.

"I know him, being part of the royal family. But the royal family doesn't know me."

"Is that so?"

"He's the next king of this country, right? What's he like?"

"Ah, yes. …He's very kind, diligent in his duties, and has the support of the people."

Seeing Keith's interest, he leaned back on a flower sofa and asked Tiara Roses.

Aquasteed had many good qualities, and Tiara Roses shared them with Keith, smiling and saying the country was stable.

…How long did they talk?

Tiara Roses and Keith sat on the sofa and talked for hours, mostly about Aquasteed and the country.

However, gradually, Tiara Roses' worries about Aquasteed began to surface.

"…I can tell he loves me, but I can't help but worry. I fear he might choose someone else in the end."

"Hmm. —Human love is complicated."

"…The freedom of fairies is something humans envy."

Drinking the tea and sighing, Tiara Roses felt self-loathing for confiding in a fairy king she had just met.

Shaking her head, she suddenly thought—

—What time is it now?

She had spent a considerable amount of time talking to Keith. She remembered she hadn't told Tarmo anything. Surely, something terrible had happened by now.

"I, I'm going back…!"

She stood up hurriedly and asked, "Where's the exit?"

Seeing her, Keith chuckled and said, "I'll take you." He picked her up by the waist. In the moment she exclaimed, "Eh?"—they were already in her room.

Teleportation magic.

As expected of the fairy king, he effortlessly used an incredibly difficult spell. Tiara Roses was amazed and looked around her room.

It was strange to be back so quickly. She tried to thank Keith, but was interrupted by a different voice.

"Tiara—? Who is that man? Stay away from Tiara!"

Aquasteed had just entered her room.

His eyes, upon seeing Keith, were filled with a stern look. He drew his sword and pointed it at Keith.